Social media and use of technology in itself may make it easier to see blurring of student-teacher interaction, which school districts have tried to regulate, but it has not targeted the true reason for sexual misconduct between teachers and students.

Before there was Facebook and texting, the teacher-student interaction blurring was just as easy when teachers lived close in the same neighborhood where they worked, had their children attend the same school they teach at, and interacted with students in local businesses. Many teachers allowed school field trips to their home years …

Social media and use of technology in itself may make it easier to see blurring of student-teacher interaction, which school districts have tried to regulate, but it has not targeted the true reason for sexual misconduct between teachers and students.

Before there was Facebook and texting, the teacher-student interaction blurring was just as easy when teachers lived close in the same neighborhood where they worked, had their children attend the same school they teach at, and interacted with students in local businesses. Many teachers allowed school field trips to their home years ago.

Technology and social media are not going anywhere, and schools need to start using them as a means of interaction between school and student/family. If the intent of such regulation is to curb sexual misconduct, the schools should be looking into psychosexual behaviors people have and deciding what behaviors they want teachers to have.

Facebook photos that were circulating on the Internet showing a person the letter writer said was Trayvon Martin – 6-foot-2 with tattoos and angry – were not of the same Trayvon Martin who was shot by George Zimmerman.

All you have to do is go to any truth site and check it out for yourself; it’s false. Go to www.snopes.com and search for Trayvon Martin photos.

Like much hate mail created to keep people angry, you can’t believe what you hear or see anymore. Of course haters are going to …

Facebook photos that were circulating on the Internet showing a person the letter writer said was Trayvon Martin – 6-foot-2 with tattoos and angry – were not of the same Trayvon Martin who was shot by George Zimmerman.

All you have to do is go to any truth site and check it out for yourself; it’s false. Go to www.snopes.com and search for Trayvon Martin photos.

Like much hate mail created to keep people angry, you can’t believe what you hear or see anymore. Of course haters are going to hate. But please, if you must hate, base it on a truth, not a lie.

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2013/07/17/re-verdict-media-didnt-show-the-real-trayvon/feed/0PRIVACY: US fighting a new kind of warhttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2013/06/07/easy-choices/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2013/06/07/easy-choices/#commentsFri, 07 Jun 2013 20:45:34 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=67450Regarding Eugene Robinson’s column (TNT, 6-7) about privacy becoming an obsolete commodity, I understand his concern. However, we are at war and sometimes I think we forget that. It is not the battlefield war in Afghanistan. It is being fought here, every day.

The digital age makes it possible to download instructions to make poisons and build bombs. It is not the job of the Internet to do anything but dispense requested information. The morality of those requests is not part of any digital environment, and if it were, we would be concerned about censorship.

]]>Regarding Eugene Robinson’s column (TNT, 6-7) about privacy becoming an obsolete commodity, I understand his concern. However, we are at war and sometimes I think we forget that. It is not the battlefield war in Afghanistan. It is being fought here, every day.

The digital age makes it possible to download instructions to make poisons and build bombs. It is not the job of the Internet to do anything but dispense requested information. The morality of those requests is not part of any digital environment, and if it were, we would be concerned about censorship.

We live in a world of war being waged in backpacks, letters and exploding timers in cell phones, on street corners, buses, subways and other public places and events. Since 9/11, the National Security Agency has been tasked with keeping us safe from these attacks. The government is the only reasonable solution to policing the exploding information world we currently live in.

Freedom in our democracy also implies a societal responsibility to keep our community safe. I believe it is necessary to ask questions and set boundaries for how we do that. But we should also recognize that this is not a simple issue.

Privacy in today’s world would be under siege with no government monitoring. Technology has created GPS monitors in cars and cell phones. Facebook is hardly a model for privacy. We opened Pandora’s box and need to figure out how to use what is inside. It is a struggle for us and for our government to set limits.

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2013/06/07/easy-choices/feed/0SHOOTING: Remove disrespectful Facebook postshttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/12/19/inappropriate-fb-postings-2/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/12/19/inappropriate-fb-postings-2/#commentsWed, 19 Dec 2012 21:00:15 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=59497On Wednesday, three children and a second-grade teacher were buried. The mourners weren’t even finished filing out of the funeral home when the ones coming to the next funeral were filing in. One funeral home held three services in one day, back to back.

There are about 24 more victims yet to be buried. That is so unbelievable, as most were little kids.

Most people grieve this violence in a visceral kind of way. It’s gut-wrenching because these kids could have been our own and in many ways really are our own.

]]>On Wednesday, three children and a second-grade teacher were buried. The mourners weren’t even finished filing out of the funeral home when the ones coming to the next funeral were filing in. One funeral home held three services in one day, back to back.

There are about 24 more victims yet to be buried. That is so unbelievable, as most were little kids.

Most people grieve this violence in a visceral kind of way. It’s gut-wrenching because these kids could have been our own and in many ways really are our own.

Some people are already posting deeply conservative views on the right to bear arms. The kids are not even buried and this is coming out in public forums like Facebook. I find this insensitive, especially when their next post says, “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them.”

What kind of message is that?

You know who you are. Take it down and show some respect.

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/12/19/inappropriate-fb-postings-2/feed/0POLITICS: Think before posting that snarky commenthttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/10/24/think-before-you-post/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/10/24/think-before-you-post/#commentsWed, 24 Oct 2012 23:57:40 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=55448It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.

The closer we get to Election Day, the more people seem to ignore this saying. It makes a person want to avoid the Internet altogether. In the days before Facebook, people used to complain about the constant mudslinging coming from politicians. Now we do it for them.

The anonymity of commenting on a YouTube video or on message boards provides users with the courage to be as crass as possible, but now that attitude is spilling over onto social networking where everyone knows who you are.

The closer we get to Election Day, the more people seem to ignore this saying. It makes a person want to avoid the Internet altogether. In the days before Facebook, people used to complain about the constant mudslinging coming from politicians. Now we do it for them.

The anonymity of commenting on a YouTube video or on message boards provides users with the courage to be as crass as possible, but now that attitude is spilling over onto social networking where everyone knows who you are.

I have seen far too many arguments start over some snarky meme that evolves into a serious war of words between friends, sometimes even ending friendships. I have also seen polite, reasonable exchanges of ideas, but I think that was just once. No one’s political opinions were ever changed by a sarcastic post.

Maybe I am being too sensitive and taking this too seriously, but I don’t think so. Every election cycle we are given promises by politicians that their terms will see bipartisan cooperation, and those promises almost always fall flat.

We live in an era where the opportunity to discuss ideas and come to middle grounds on issues is more possible than ever before. Let’s take advantage of that by applying a little bit of personal responsibility. We may be surprised where it gets us.

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/10/24/think-before-you-post/feed/0OBAMA: The Facebook presidenthttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/05/29/the-facebook-president/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/05/29/the-facebook-president/#commentsTue, 29 May 2012 23:53:18 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=46123One week ago, with a surplus of hype and a scarcity of fundamentals, Facebook became a publicly traded company. The price of the IPO came out very high. Its price immediately collapsed. Many were fooled by the excitement and overpaid for the investment. Investors are mad.

About four years ago, Barack Obama came to us with a surplus of hype (hope and change) and a scarcity of fundamentals. His ideas, like Facebook, were dreamed up in a dorm. Like the head of Facebook, Obama had never led or produced anything. Like the hype of Facebook, he was surrounded in hype. …

]]>One week ago, with a surplus of hype and a scarcity of fundamentals, Facebook became a publicly traded company. The price of the IPO came out very high. Its price immediately collapsed. Many were fooled by the excitement and overpaid for the investment. Investors are mad.

About four years ago, Barack Obama came to us with a surplus of hype (hope and change) and a scarcity of fundamentals. His ideas, like Facebook, were dreamed up in a dorm. Like the head of Facebook, Obama had never led or produced anything. Like the hype of Facebook, he was surrounded in hype. He spoke in front of Greek columns to adoring fans who would occasionally faint.

Obama’s outcome has also been a disaster. His health care plan has slowed down hiring. His stimulus plan has put our nation further in debt and achieved nothing. His non-energy policy has driven up the price of fuel and held up construction on pipelines.

Obama is the “Facebook president.” Business schools will teach the story of Facebook for decades to come. They will talk about how, a company with no assets and no experience could come public and be valued at three times the value of Disney.

History teachers will also talk about President Obama and how a man with no experience at anything could win and be the leader of the free world. Hopefully this experience has taught both investors and voters a lesson. Experience and fundamentals really do matter.

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/05/29/the-facebook-president/feed/109FACEBOOK: Age limit should be higher than 13http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/03/29/facebook-should-age-limit-be-raised/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/03/29/facebook-should-age-limit-be-raised/#commentsThu, 29 Mar 2012 18:15:55 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=43579Facebook users who identify themselves as over 13 years old are allowed to gain access to the site. Almost everyone in my classes is on Facebook, and they describe it as an easy way of communication and a helpful resource to get help on homework through communicating with classmates.

But I know that Facebook also serves as a medium for inappropriate content. Whenever I see harsh language or inappropriate pictures, it makes me wonder whether 13-year-olds should be allowed to have Facebook accounts.

I tend to believe that the age restrictions should be stricter. Clearly, with more than half …

]]>Facebook users who identify themselves as over 13 years old are allowed to gain access to the site. Almost everyone in my classes is on Facebook, and they describe it as an easy way of communication and a
helpful resource to get help on homework through communicating with classmates.

But I know that Facebook also serves as a medium for inappropriate content. Whenever I see harsh language or inappropriate pictures, it makes me wonder whether 13-year-olds should be allowed to have Facebook accounts.

I tend to believe that the age restrictions should be stricter. Clearly, with more than half of students being victims of cyber bullying, 13 years old is just too young. At 13, people do not know the effects of cyber bullying and are too immature to be able to chat freely over the web.

(Morales is an eighth-grader at Washington Middle School.)

]]>http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/03/29/facebook-should-age-limit-be-raised/feed/14FACEBOOK: It’s easy to fact-check claimshttp://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2011/04/25/check-the-facts/
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2011/04/25/check-the-facts/#commentsMon, 25 Apr 2011 18:37:11 +0000http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/?p=23565Over the last three weeks a “friend” has been posting small anti-Obama messages on Facebook: Obama has canceled the National Day of Prayer, Obama is going to cut military pay, illegal aliens are receiving Social Security.

Think about it. If Obama had done just one of these things, it would be the headline of every newspaper in the nation. It would be on the cover of Newsweek and Time, and the women of “The View” would be talking about this. But the “lamestream” media happens to check facts and does not print false information.

]]>Over the last three weeks a “friend” has been posting small anti-Obama messages on Facebook: Obama has canceled the National Day of Prayer, Obama is going to cut military pay, illegal aliens are receiving Social Security.

Think about it. If Obama had done just one of these things, it would be the headline of every newspaper in the nation. It would be on the cover of Newsweek and Time, and the women of “The View” would be talking about this. But the “lamestream” media happens to check facts and does not print false information.

There is a lot of hate in our nation, and it is feeding off false information that is quietly spreading from “friend to friend.”

It is so easy to check the facts. Google “National Day of Prayer” and click on any article that has factcheck.org or snoops.com in the text. You will discover when and where the rumor first appeared, how it spreads and whether it is true or not.

As for the “friend” . . . I “de-friended” her. I regret that, because now there isn’t a comment after each of these postings telling her readers to “please check the facts.”

However unfortunately, each nation’s government has the same right as America to choose whether or not to censor online content. Period.

Facebook cannot be condemned for the more-often-than-not idiotic sharing and commenting of its users.

The writer says that oversharing “used to be” discouraged. Has she checked recently? Oversharing and pointless posting is still being discouraged

Whoever appears on your newsfeed is your friend, family or associate. The only reason they’re on your newsfeed is because you chose for them to be. You can easily hit that “Ignore” button on any unwanted friend request or very easily remove annoyances from your newsfeed entirely.